


Zuko's Hated Hairstyle

by mikasyuu



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Avatar, F/M, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24704977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikasyuu/pseuds/mikasyuu
Summary: Alternate ending for the war, Zuko and Katara get together. A few years in Zuko starts sporting a hairstyle Katara cannot stand.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Kudos: 74





	Zuko's Hated Hairstyle

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I wrote after I finished ATLA last night. Still missing them :(

‘Zuko you have to cut it’ has been the only thing Zuko hears in these recent months. From the lady that runs the fish shack down the block to Katara repeating this phrase after a contemplating stare focused on Zuko over breakfast. She’d stand against the counter, holding a glass of water, and burn a whole in Zuko’s head; waiting to hear ‘what’ so she could spring upon him her request. Zuko hadn’t paid any mind to cutting his hair since his ascension as fire lord, it was quite the trend in growing your hair into a great length. But he’d clearly been at a point Katara hated. It hadn’t been too long so his hair sat just past his shoulders, parted on the side so that he could push it behind his ear to get it out of his face. He could have put it up or styled it differently, but Zuko liked how easy this style was while still looking respectable.

However, Katara still hated it. Katara only saw Zuko for one week every other week since they both had duties to attend a good distance away. While Zuko maintained at the palace to lead his nation, Katara spent her days strengthening and expanding the southern water tribe as a way to maintain their culture. On the alternating weeks they would switch between Zuko staying at Kataras igloo in the south pole and Katara staying in the palace with Zuko. 

This week was at their igloo at the south pole, Katara had just cooked up some sea prunes with some seal jerky. She set the plate in front of Zuko as he sat on his mat in front of the fire they cooked with. After a moment, when he noticed Katara still stood on his side, Zuko looked up to see her looking extremely disappointed with her arms crossed.

“Katara, what?” Zuko moved the parted side with more hair back behind his ear.

Katara just shook her head, “You know what I’m going to say Zuko,” She sighed and sat down on the mat adjacent to his, picking up her bowl instead of continuing.

Zuko looked at her a minute more before sighing and giving in (mainly because Katara had decided yesterday that this was the only thing she would talk to Zuko about all day), “Do you want to style it?” Katara made a smug face, triumphantly ‘hmph-ing’ and proudly getting back up to get her supplies.

She didn’t have any fire nation hair pieces but it was fine since today Zuko was wearing the water tribe clothing that he stored here, after repeatedly forgetting to pack clothes with him on his journeys down south. When Katara came back into the main room of the igloo Zuko had already finished breakfast and was patiently waiting on the mat for her return. Katara stifled a laugh at how calm he looked dressed in water tribe get down while sitting on a mat with his eyes closed. She made her way over to him, getting on her knees behind his back to handle the mass that was his hair.

If Katara was being honest with herself, she hated his hair length. His hair had looked so much better when it draped above his shoulders, dancing upon them in the wind. It reminded her of when he became a man that could change his ways, a man that understood who he was beneath his uncertain desires.

Now he sported the ugliest style he could, with a length Katara already didn’t like. She decided to do a half up bun with the rest of his hair brushed down and back, adorned with a blue hair ribbon that contained stones carved by water benders. But when she began brushing back the parted hair, Zuko moved his head forward, swatting his hand where Katara’s was. Katara sighed, loudly.

“Just leave the part out, put the rest up,” Zuko asked, still oblivious to Katara's growing impatience.

“Zuko… you have to cut it.” Katara tried to pick up his hair again but Zuko swatted at her hands once more.

“Just leave it Katara, long hair is a symbol of power and beauty in the fire nation,” Zuko said proudly.

“Long hair is that same symbol in EVERY nation Zuko, you’re just making excuses now,” Katara refuted. Zuko whipped his head around and protectively held his hair back.

“Don’t touch it,” Zuko warned.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Katara shook her head, “isn’t it easier to manage shorter? That part is not even practical, at least let me tie it back…” Katara feigned being upset so that Zuko would back down, but Zuko was no stranger to such tricks. But, this was Katara.

Katara hummed happily as she finished tying off the ribbon, securing Zuko’s new do for a day in the water tribe. 

“Why don’t you like my hair long?” Zuko asked while pouting, kind of upset with how he fell victim to Katara’s sympathy games.

“It’s just,” Katara inhaled, “different.”

“And that’s bad…?” Zuko waited for a response, to him being different had become something good. It had become a way of recognizing why he was different, and who he was beneath those differences. 

They both knew the other had tied some deeper meaning to Zuko’s hair, so Aang would probably laugh at their attachments. Katara sighed, unsure how to tell this to Zuko without feeling stupid.

“Katara… talk to me,” Zuko grabbed one of Katara’s hands, it wasn’t gentle but it was as gentle as he could have made it. He was unsure of how to love quietly in a romantic way, his previous relationship with Mai was not healthy for either of them. He had learned from that though, and vowed to never be subject to Katara’s rage ever again. Also because she could blood bend. 

“Everything around us is so… different,” Katara gripped Zuko’s hand, “ever since we beat your father we’ve all gone our separate ways. I can’t be there for everyone like I used to.” Zuko had no clue what this had to do with the way he parted his hair, but considered not addressing that since it would come out insensitive. See, he was learning.

“They don’t need you to be anymore Katara,” Zuko gestured to the painting they’d commissioned of their team that hung on the igloo walls, “we all have grown up, grown into new, different duties.”

“Well I haven’t!” Katara snapped, “Preserving culture is fighting for people in a different way, I’m not able to help people like I used to. That’s the Aang's job around the world, Toph’s job in Ba Sing Se, and Sokka’s job helping rehabilitate water tribe ex-colonies!”

“Katara, what you want is there, why don’t you take it?” Zuko raised his voice as an attempt to get through to her while shifting through all the wisdom he had, what would Uncle Iroh say?

Katara sighed again, “It’s not as easy as that… I know it’s awful but I want things to go back to the way it was, fighting for a cause with the people I love.”

Zuko finally found some wisdom that could apply, “As my Uncle said, life happens when you are maybe present… or not and… you have to catch up!” Katara gave him a confused look.

“Is that exactly what your uncle said?” Katara questioned suspiciously.

“Well, no, but you can't hang onto what has happened,” Zuko made eye contact with Katara, “it may be hard but there's life here for us. Adjusting is definitely a byproduct of being shaped by a war when we were teenagers, but we can’t let it burden us.”

Katara pounced, wrapping Zuko into a hug and holding him close. Breathing in the hair creams he used to maintain his silky locks.

“Can you please cut your hair though.”

Zuko chuckled, “No.” Katara laughed with him.  
“But seriously.”

“Katara,” Zuko warned. Katara dropped out of the hug and stood up exasperated.

“Come onnnn, it looked so good when it hung all shaggy around your face,” She stomped her foot down, “even Sokka admitted it looked good.” Sokka was hard to please…

“You’re just trying to make things feel like they haven’t changed,” Zuko looked hurt, “but I’m glad things have changed. I’m so happy because if things weren’t different now, if we weren’t different we wouldn’t have ended up here together.” 

A regretful expression danced across Katara’s face, causing her to pull her hand into a fist; upset with how she’d hurt Zuko. “I-I didn’t mean it like that…” 

“I know,” Zuko stood up and made his way over to Katara, apologetically holding a hand to her cheek. “I know.”

Tears fell onto Zuko’s hand, causing him to look up at Katara in shock. Her face was docile, unmoved, but tears flowed down her cheeks. “They don’t need me anymore…”

Zuko wouldn’t try to spew proverbs or convince her otherwise because it was true. They didn’t need to rely on Katara as their motherly replacement, they’d matured. He knew Katara would hurt for a long time before accepting this but maybe in the future when securing an heir to the fire nations throne, Katara could be the mother she yearned to be. Even if that was years away. (Which it was since Katara had just turned 19)

They stood like that for a while, fully understanding and accepting this reality. Truthfully, Zuko had accepted his change before he even reconciled with Katara, but he would stand with her every step of the way. Some changes were more difficult for others.

Katara had taken their growth very hard whereas Zuko had enjoyed watching his newfound friends settle and find their place in the world. They visited often too since Aang made a trip to see Katara anytime he could… Zuko was still coming to terms with that one. But when they went to see Uncle Iroh he would also get to see Toph and all of Katara’s other earthbending friends that found refuge in Ba Sing Se. When they went to see Sokka they also got to see Katara’s dad, Suki, and other warriors from her tribe.

Katara retreated from Zuko's arms, not bothering to wipe the tears off of her face. She had things to do today, and she wouldn’t let this get in her way. Zuko smiled at her and helped clean up their breakfast and the hair supplies, letting Katara go off in the village while he continued to work on some paperwork in their igloo. He was surprised to see a messenger hawk fly in, almost knocking over the ink he had been dipping his quill in.

Zuko opened the container pinned to the Hawk’s back and took out the scroll that had been rolled up inside. It was a letter from Sokka. Zuko unrolled it to read it but instead of an actual letter it was just one sentence.

‘Zuko, cut your hair.’

“Agh!” Zuko grumbled and rolled up the letter throwing it in the fire. Then took a stray piece of parchment and wrote a simple ‘No you.’, rolled it up and stuck it inside; shooing the hawk off. 

Was it really that bad?


End file.
